Jazz, ok I feel better after reading your post and what you did at 15, lol, just kidding, cause I wasn't as wild as you but I was right behind ya in 'bad' HAHA Luckily your kids didn't take to the booze and I think I am sure my kiddo won't either. Her personality isn't like mine so I think she is just wanting to experiment cause that other can of Gummy booze is in the fridge and I said try that one too and she said, nah, the first one sucked, why bother with that other flavor LOL See, me, I woulda still tried the other can...weee...

yea best to control her bit of wanting to try it than to not see what is happening. My parents never saw what I did, or they did and ?? heck I don't know but I was wild but also was smart enough to make sure I was 'good' in front of them and snuck around and it all worked for me....omg I am laughing on all the stupid I did back then.

I remember one time so vivid that I had my dime bag and left it in my pants pocket and I was playing on our pinball machine and mom came and held that baggie up in front of me and said what is this? I said it was a bag of herbs we were mixing into chemicals in science class and I musta shoved it in my pocket, I said give me that, it has to go back to school....and damn if she didn't give it back to me....lol....omg I tell ya.....BUT you said one thing right, for as bad as we were, we turned out damn great lol omgosh wild stuff.

Just keep dealing with work as you can and you will find your niche for sure on how ya wanna roll but with ageism and more like ya said, it might take more time to score so keep the patience, you will be ok, you always land on your feet.

Standing rib. YUM do we need to say more

HEY LORI AND NICCO

-----------------simple day today. few errands. not much on my plate cause I don't want anything on my plate

Tbone steak and pork tenderloin to eat today.

ok, that is all my drama right now!!! nothing more so far which is the way I like it!!!

be good all

Ok I am not even going to try to catch up but I am going to check in.

I am not in NYC lol
I'm in DC with DD- this is her spring break and she is only allowed to be an hour from the hospital so here we are. She is feeling it for sure- body is sore, wears out relatively easily, congested etc. I feel for her. I can do well on little sleep but I can see how tired she is. We are just playing it loose today.

Jaz yeah definitely don't lose this job before you find a new one! You don't need to be in that stress yacht.
Standing rib roast sounds great. Good to spend some time with your Mom- you never know what time will bring.

Lori I hope you are continuing to have fun on your trip with your Sis!

Trig your girl is having a good time experimenting with her burgeoning adulthood. Good on her and good on you for keeping the communication lines open with her. Home is a good place to try some stuff. I know for me I was absolutely smashed for the first two plus years of college and the last part of high school too. Leveled out then and went on to be a relatively reasonable adult lol. I don't think any of my kids partied as hard as we did in college - maybe DS22 to an extent. We were devoted lol

Soooo the money/cash flowing with the kid- I'd probably figure out what I am/ am not willing to cash flow as far as adventures/fun and then once I knew that, have a convo around it. Every family is different and figures out what is ok and not. You with having one in some ways is easier- for us what we did with one then would apply to the next two so we had some thinking to do. If it were me I'd certainly make it clear that assuming we would reimburse without checking first wasn't a good plan. I'd also probably have her doing certain things to help with paying for things like hotel- things around the home or something. Again, this is just what I would do- to each his/her own. Take what you like and leave the rest!

For our college kids, we gave them 100 dollars a month for spending. They could use that however, no questions asked. If they didn't have a meal plan then they also got a grocery allowance. We would pay for all academic stuff, paid for DS22 frat dues, school sponsored trips/study abroad and the like. They had summer jobs and had to pay their own recreational/ friend stuff. If they lived away during the summer, we would pay rent as long as they held a job. This is just how we handled it.

DD had a rough night sleeping so we are taking it relatively easy today. My goal for the overnight trip is just to go with the flow, take her cues etc. I stayed NS/NF for yesterday and will today again, which has been a bit of a challenge with the bakeries, etc. But luckily I have enough days under my belt that it doesn't hold a huge appeal. We had an AMAZING dinner out last night which was SO YUM.

Anyway, back to MD tonight. No big plans for tmrw and then Easter meal in Annapolis. All good!

Shortie post for today.
OMG Trig! - So your story had me ROLLING. I truly almost spit my bacon reading it! OMG a Dime" bag these days doesn't exist! I am not into weed since high school days. I am too scared now to even go beyond a glass of wine.
BUT......... So when I was engaged 17- I was in my ex house. We were enjoying a "doobie"- when his mother walks in and goes WHAT IS THAT SMELL????????
So I looked at the ex and he looked at me and then my EX goes- oh THAT SMELL?????? "she" is burning a new incense............... LOLOLOLOLOL good times........... LOLOL
Those days are long gone. Don't miss those days.
Kids and nursing school sorta booted me into "ADULTHOOD".

NIC we are on watch! ......... keep us posted-

Lori- where are you now?

LATER GATORS!

Made it to Atlanta- Got my music going, "lite" breezer going and sitting out on screened patio

Lori, hope you guys are enjoying yourselves, hmm, wait I know you are LOL

Nicco, great post. thanks tons for showing me how ya walked thru it and luckily yes I got only 1 to fund, couldn't imagine having to fund more, lol.

OK you kinda gave me a path to follow with how the spending will go down on recreational etc. I find I am her open piggy bank and I had another talk with her and said all friggin' $300 soccer tickets are off the table now and done! I also chatted with her on trips she wants to have, in that her 'grand plans' of it all are not what I am willing to fund. I will take care of Orlando, but this is the last one this expensive. I mean come on right?

Plus chatting about summer, SO wish she wanted summer classes etc to fill time and credit towards Uni but in the end she is coming home. told her a part time job of some sort is a must if home, omgosh this should be a dramatic wild ride for her to work somewhere and hope to hell it isn't too crazy. she doesn't know hard real work at all so it will be interesting to see how it goes down. I don't wanna send too many mixed messages in that I tell her, don't work while in Uni, I want all eyes on study and career ya know but summer time off is a new ball game if home.

your underlying tone was YOU controlled the path and I find I am getting dragged along her path right now so you woke me up in that it is time for me to put down the hammer and control what I need to control so she just don't go off 1/2 cocked blowing my money HA

thanks for the chat on it. appreciate it. time to firm it up and get a more solid path on how the next yrs are gonna go down.

Jazz, you had me laughing now too......incense huh? oh yea I used that one also HAHA I wonder what goes thru the parents heads really when we say this crap LOL I know one thing, my kiddo would never be able to fool me on that one, been there done that HA

you call it the current name, weed, heck I still call it pot. I think that word pot is long off the slang name table?? who knows

yea I hear ya on being booted forward into adulthood. my first real computer programming job at CIGNA in Hartford got me out of the bigger party stage and into normal more adult times, like waiting for Happy Hour after work. that kinda became the partying vs. the old teenager crazy way

---------------simple zc day
handling stupid bed sheets etc for laundry. bleck
just making sirloin steak for first meal, got chicken breasts for dinner tonight with hubby and me.

kiddo drove back yesterday to Uni.

She says can Morgan stay here for 2 days and I say why cause heck she is supposed to be near Raleigh area and I am thinking huh? No she is at Uni and bored so kiddo wants to pick her up, bring her here then drive back Sun for school....WTH? I said go to school. Go back early, get Morgan and Cassie to help ya move out your dorm room and Dad and I will come up Sun to move the heavy furniture part. So she left early yesterday and luckily the 3 of them got all the stuff moved from the room except a few pieces of furniture she wants me to drive home and keep here. They won't fit well in the smaller new dorm room.......weeee.....the kids got it handled. less for me and the Chop.

So I am treating the 3 of them to a good dinner out. hey if they work hard and got that move handled darn near 100% for me, heck yea I will treat them to dinner but damn she says, she wants to go to Harrah's Casino in Cherokee to that darn expensive restaurant.....boo....I said ok....omg but said that is the last of the higher spending going down now....ugh....yea I caved a bit still. me bad HA

ok off to get some stuff done. head is in allergy clog. got yellow pollen all around. bleck. can literally taste it in the air.

Good Saturday Morning from Atl!

Trig- Wow- kiddo going to the Casino! Don't you have to be 21? I am very happy you two chatted about her "path". Gives her the option to make one. I agree coming home for a summer and just lying on the couch is a hard NO! LOLOL

Where are you taking the girls for dinner? YAY on that! Super nice weekend. Enjoy it. You get that new grill yet?!?!?- I am in such a grilling mood. Love good grill food.

Yeah- we had our "wild" times..... but hey at the end of the day we turned out ok! LOLOLOL

Lori- Wondering WHERE you are right now! LOLOL

Nic- You back home?
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Stellar weather weekend! I am loving it.
Here at mom's. I am not going to fill up this post, other than to say.......... I see what is coming down the pike and it isn't pretty. Sighhhhhhhhh

Anyway- for right now I am enjoying the weekend and all.

Tonight is Standing beef roast. IT is going on a rotisserie grill! OMG yes! Prime rib!!!!

Watched movies, and just sort of hung out last night. This morning and afternoon- hanging out on the deck and screened patio.

Keeping my low ##-
#meatmomma!

Keep Rocking ladies.

Jazz hope ur time with your mom etc is great and that standing rib roast I know you can wait to tuck yourself into that!!!!

is today Easter and I have no idea and don't care HA

Anyway your thoughts are so right, she can not enter the Casino floor but she can do everything above the lower gambling floor so she can shop the shops and eat in the resturants but can't go downstairs in gamble area so yes this casino is a draw to her when I took her before she just loves that resturant we took her,

funny story is our waiter was so great. Steven. I asked is Steve your name and he said no, it is Steven I go by and her waiter on another time when she took out her friends was Christopher and she said are you Chris? and he said no I am going by Christopher and we were laughing at it like crazy cause they go by full names for the ambiance of that expensive restuarant LOL yes we find fun in stupid crap like that

can't wait to find out her server's name on this time out HAHA
too stupid but fun for us

me first

hi guys....Happy Easter to ya'll

for me today is on the road to Uni to bring home some chairs and other items kiddo doesn't need in this dorm move.

yes eating out on the road....bleck...but will zc survive.
long day of travel and work ahead.....heading out around 9-10, ya know I am in a very slow mood today so this trip I am going to take in slow motion. Don't care what time I get home tonight etc....just gonna go with the flow in slo mo and get the day handled. at least nice weather so that helps.

enjoy your day everyone eat clean zc and eat very good LC. We always gotta hold our plans tight but I know you guys, we got this!!

Happy Easter Ya'll!!!!!

Trig- Safe travels to Uni! I know kiddo will be happy with that. Is tonight when you are taking the girls to dinner? Yup- the weather is a great travel day!
Eating on the road= plain hamburgers, or steak houses. Yup hold tight on your plan!

I am sort of surprised you aren't doing an overnight. Updates tomorrow!

Nic- You home? How is the baby watch going? You doing anything special today?

Lori- I am wondering how you are doing and where you are! FUN FUN FUN!
---------------------------------------------------------------

travaling- check in later

Hi all

Happy Easter to those who celebrate
Yes I am here in MD and have been for at least a week plus. Here for the duration and likely until late April minimum just to be around and available. We are on BabyWatch2024.

Sending an email with a couple of pics from the photoshoot I did for them last night.

Jaz, safe travels home- how was your mom doing?

Trig, safe travels to you as well. I hope the move in process goes well and hopefully they got a lot of the smaller work done.

Lori I guess you are traveling still too- you all are traveling today!

off to Annapolis this afternoon for easter meal with the fam but otherwise just chilling and laying low. Had a great 4.5 mile hike yesterday and grateful for the time in the woods to be disconnected and at peace.

all is well just on pause and on hold. tick tock!

Hello!!!!

I'm home! I decided to drive on home this afternoon since it's supposed to rain for the next 3 days. I really didn't want to drive home in the rain after that horrible trip last Saturday on the way to my DSis's.

Sorry I didn't do more pictures, but the days just flew by. We had a good time and I managed to get DSis home in one piece. I'm not sure we'll be able to do any big trips anymore. She's 81 and it's more difficult to deal with all the stuff that travel entails.

I drove for around 5 hours today between coming home from the port and then on home. I'm whooped.

I'll worry about unpacking and laundry in the next few days.

Hope all is well with everyone!

Yay! Lori you got home and no rain! I am glad you had such a great time. I can't waiting to hear all about it after you get a good noghts sleep. I know you are tired! Traveling does take it out of ya! All the little stuff. Then the unpacking!

I was only gone 2 nights and 2.5 days and dang you would have thought I packed for a month! But ya need what ya need! Know what I mean?!? LOL

Nic- I know you are chilling and taking this minute to find your baring's.

Your the last one on the road tonight TRIG! . Safe travels
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Believe it of not Walmart Grocery was open for being Easter. I ran in on my way back from Atlanta and picked up a package of chicken for the pooch and a package of ground chuck for me as I have nothing ready or thawed at this point.

A quick LC "sloppy joe" just hit the spot. I just have it on the plate. The BBQ sauce I use is the Primal Kitchen sauce. I feel really good using those. They are about as pure and low carb if you are going to get if you use a sauce. Yes, they are very $$$$$$$ But I have the Ketchup, the BBQ sauce, the Buffalo, Steak, and Ranch sauce. I have them all. I use them all differently and it is nice to have a little something for taste that is pure and 1-2 carbs tops.
I still consider myself Carnivore I don't add anything else. It works for me.

Got some laundry in the washer and cozy in pajamas now and chilling. The weekend goes way to fast for my liking! Goodness I could get used to a 3-day weekend!

Nite ladies!

Lori, your pics from vacay were so beautiful, I could feel that ocean air and what a heck of a view you guys had!!! You put in alot of travel time for sure, take a day off and rest and recoup from that vacay work in traveling lol

Nicco.....BABYWATCH 2024, love it! Not like my goals ever got completed on FenceWatch for FaucetWatch HAha but we know BabyWatch WILL be completed and can't wait for pics in email from ya on that new cutie to come.

hiking and disconnect, oh wow so important truly isn't it? need that peace and glad ya got some

Jazz, hope your Easter standing rib was great. Sounds like you and your mom have come to easier visits together, all more calm and all in a good way

Ruger getting is pk of chicken, so love this and I bet he enjoys the hell outta it

Yea I tried primal kitchen for sf bbq sauce also but for me I didn't like it enough to keep using it. GLAD tho ya found something you do like as a condiment and that means alot in our lifestyle...that little bit we find that makes us smile while eating out chicken HAHA feel ya on it.

I have to say I miss buffalo sauce and miss chili taste too but I had to dump both, my guts can not handle it at all. I love the taste but when it gets down into the stomach, omg there is not enough Tums on the planet to help me HAHA enjoy it for me too, lol

NO WE didn't go with kiddo. the 3 of them went alone. bill for 3, $251. kiddo sent pics of meals and apps, omgosh looking so darn yummy and they had a blast.

---------------so that move done and thankfully kiddo had a ton done for us so very fast bringing home chairs and alot of other stuff she wanted home.

new dorm is AN OLDIE and I was not impressed LOL room so small. feels ancient and old and her newer WaterRock dorm was tons better but heck she made the move so hope all goes well....only like 5 wks left now in Uni til summer break so....

ate naked sausage/egg/cheese on road then ate naked cheeseburgers on the road. my guts ain't a happy camper actually.

today woke up feeling blah in guts. Today is simple zc. make country pork ribs first meal. got chicken hubby wants tonight and I will eat some of that.

so kiddo left the gate open to the pasture and I said 50 times go down there and fix that and she never did. Lollipop finally 'saw it' and went thru it and I look outta kitchen window and there is the goat looking up at me near the porch into the window and I thought, huh? what is that in my backyard LOL too funny. Lollipop is shedding like a motherf.....too cute acutally, darn thing is getting so old no idea how much longer for her but hey if she is doing good then cool.

be good all......into April we go and hopefully the higher temps come right all with it. My day is a mow day. wish me luck

Good Morning!

A good night's sleep and got up ready to get my big suitcase unpacked and get all the laundry done. Last load in the dryer now.

I am not going near the scale until Saturday morning when the new challenge I joined on MyFitnessPal starts. I am aiming to get some of the alcohol bloat off before facing the scale. OMG....the food was so good on this trip! We ate in the main dining room most nights and had some yummy salads, shrimp cocktail, entrees & desserts. Oh yeah.....we ate it all!! I don't regret one single bite. Not to mention I had at least 2 Pistachio Martinis a day....most days it was 3. Good grief they were good. We didn't participate in the night life onboard. Too hectic and loud. We were happy to have an after dinner drink and then go back to the solitude of our cabin. We were up at 6:30 every morning and the ship was mostly quiet at that time. We'd go for coffee and then head to the Solarium, which is a quiet area where no one under 18 is allowed. There is a bar, a little restaurant, a couple pools and hot tubs. Big glass windows all around with lounge chairs facing the sea. It is right at the front of the ship, so the views were awesome. We did not have a lot of warm days on this trip, other than the 2 stops in the Bahamas. We would have liked to have more balcony time, but when you leave out of NJ in March, you can't expect lots of warm weather. No rain though, so that was great.

Today DH is traveling about an hour to see DGS15 play baseball on his high school team. Then DH will go on to our DD's house and pick DGS up at the school and spend the night with him at their house. DD is in FL for a few days to check on the condo she owns there. She does AirBNB and needed to check on a few things, so she flew down. Her Dominican significant other has retired from his job in NYC and has moved back to the Dominican. We are not surprised as we could tell something was going on. They have the 2 boys together and have been together for about 22 years. They never married, so that complication won't come into play. I know she'll have some legal stuff to get sorted with their home etc., but she is a smart cookie and I'm sure she has all her "ducks in a row". We have always been on a need to know basis with our kids, so we just keep our noses out of their business unless they ask us for help or advice.....which has rarely happened. We know DD will be fine as she is a strong, independent woman and very savvy.

Well, I'm going to finish up my laundry and catch up on some YouTube videos. I had internet on the ship, but didn't watch any videos or anything.

Happy April y'all!

Good Early evening!

I felt like today was ALL Monday! Goodness it was busy! I had a early morning appointment and have one tomorrow too. I am thrown off my schedules when I have to get up and run!

Lori- Sounds like you are back to your routine. OMG your cruise sounds like it was a great time. All TYPES of Debauchery! LOLOLOL Dessert and EVERYTHING! I think having the quiet morning would be super cool.
I hate the fact you said you think it was your last big hurrah with your sis. Dang that is depressing!

I know you will be back to your way of eating soon! I get it that it will take a minute to get off the boat bloat! LOL I just came up with that! LOL

Trig-OMG you had me rolling about Lollipop! You look up from a kitchen window and see a goat staring back at ya! I think it's great she still has some spunk to her that she is still exploring! How old are goat years to people years?

I hear ya on spices hitting your gut! OMG I too have certain spices I have had to give up. I think that Cumin is one that also gets my gut! I am playing with spices now to see what works and what doesn't. It a real thing!

So are you planning any summer family trips knowing the kiddo will be home?

OMG are you dealing with this YELLOW AIR?!?!? I can TASTE the pollen in the air! My eyes are blood red and irritated. I am actually glad we got storms rolling in on Wed to get some clear fresh air! Need a new air front.
My white car is a funky neon yellow/lime color. wow

Did you get your field cut?

Nic- Hey girlie! How goes it? You getting out and about?
-------------------------------

Nothing new. Long work day. Chillin. A gal pal ask me to meet her for happy hour. I declined. I just am not feeling it today.
Just want to relax and call it a day. The pollen is getting to me.

WOE- on point 99%, sans a lite wine spritzer 4 carbs x 2. That is it. OMAD and it was leftover taco/sloppy joe.

Up for a movie later.

Lori it is fun reading about your 'on board' lifestyle I too wouldn't be able to take alot of loud noisy night life either, get ya on that.

Sorry for your DD having issues. But like you say, they are not kids anymore, they can handle their own lives, but if she needs ya or asks I know you guys would jump to help but like you say, other than asked, stay out of it It is great she is strong and will get re-settled as she needs. More power to her.

Jazz, goat yrs are people yrs. She is just like age 14 but that is their way old age LOL just defined a bit diff. No one calculates 'dog yrs' for goats HA

ahhh yea you are finding your worst spices now too. we know ourselves very real on zc.

YELLOW air omgosh it is horrible right? everything is getting covered yellow now and yea I can sure taste it too. Plus I can't even open windows for fresh air, there is none and my leather couch just ends up with a layer of yellow all over it..sticking with AC instead of opening windows. easier and healthier actually

Nicco, got question, I went back and read your post before. You gave your kids 100 per month? or is that per week you meant? Cause I give my kiddo $450 a month and she says that ain't enough but darn she ain't getting a darn dime more lol---but for her she relies on her car and gas is a big expense actually, she cant walk anywhere off campus, being in the mts it is drive to anything at all times.
Just wondering on it.

-----------It is 3:30AM ---stupid early right
fell asleep around 9 watching some stupid movie and slept for like 5 hrs and damn now I am up. I tell ya guys I am getting my sleeping hrs screwed up to the max.

is this a freaky sign of old age? LOL no idea I gotta correct back this bad sleep pattern somehow...ugh, pain in the azz

simple zc food day
gonna make big bacon cheese omelet first meal. WHY I want that I have no idea
second meal is finish my leftover country pork ribs

mowing to finish, backyard and side acreage on this mow. leave goat and horse barn area or next day. I am on rotating days of what parts to mow...I mow all the friggin' time, gawd

ok no idea what is gonna go down today mostly but friggin' long long long morning here for me...bleck